For Your Makeup

Replacing disposable or one-time use makeup applicators with reusable makeup brushes is the green thing to do but you have to clean them regularly to keep them sanitary. Reusable makeup brushes collect dirt, oil and dead skin from your face and that can turn them into a breeding ground for bacteria. So let’s talk about how you can easily clean makeup brushes naturally. Before you begin, collect everything you need. all your dirty makeup brushes brush guards 3 cups a plate clean towel (optional) extra virgin olive oil castile soap (or any mild soap) warm water white vinegar Now your ready to start cleaning your brushes. Throughout the cleaning process remember to be gentle with your brushes. Don’t press the bristles too hard, splay the bristles or tug at the bristles. Also keep in mind that you are only cleaning the bristles, you don’t want to dip the shaft of the brush into the water or vinegar since it may ruin the the glue that keeps the bristles on the brush. In one of the cups mix warm water and castile soap to make a bath for your brushes. Fill another cup with enough vinegar to dip the bristles of your longest brush. Pour a small puddle of extra virgin olive oil on a plate. Dip a dirty makeup brush in the olive oil and run it back and forth across the plate until it stops leaving dirty streaks. This step helps clean the brush, but it’s also important if you have natural bristle brushes because the oil conditions the bristles to keep them soft. Next, dip the brush in the soapy water. Remove the brush from the soapy water and gentle swirl it in the palm of your hand. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the brush is clean. Gently squeeze the bristles to remove excess water. Dip the bristles in white vinegar to sanitize them, then rinse them under a faucet with warm water. If you want to clean the handle of the brush, wipe it with a moist, clean towel. Place the brush in a brush guard, leaving about an inch of the guard past the bristles. Always pull the brush through the brush guard by the handle to keep from bending the bristles. Stand the brush on the brush guard, bristles down, in a cup to dry. It’s obvious you wouldn’t want to dry your brush by standing it on the bristles alone because that would ruin them, but most people don’t realize that standing it on it’s handle to dry will cause the water to seep into the shaft of the brush, thus loosening the glue that hold the bristles on. Additionally, the water could cause wood handles to swell and split. I know it looks like a lot of steps, but it probably took you longer to read this post than it will to clean your brushes, so get to it and let us know how it works out! Like this post? Subscribe...

Over the past few months, Kim and I have shared our recipes for a green face routine with you. Every evening I cleanse my face with a rosemary mint race wash, remove my eye makeup with a homemade makeup remover and exfoliate with a oatmeal sugar scrub. My morning makeup routine, however, still has a lot of room for improvement. Finding eco-friendly makeup is difficult because in the United States there are no legal standards to meet for labeling something a natural or organic personal care products. “Natural” and “organic” could be put on the packaging for decoration or to convince people to pay more for a product. For more information on greenwashing, which is where companies make real and/or fake claims so their product appears to be green, see Beware “Greenwashing” in Cosmetic Products over at the Cinco Vidas Blog. Since you can’t trust the packaging I have developed a system for finding replacement products. First, I pick a product and review the label for ingredients on the Women For A Healthy Environment’s list of chemicals to avoid in your personal products. Then, I check the EWG Skin Deep for ingredients that raise concerns, such as known carcinogens and hormone disrupters. If the product meets my criteria I make the purchase. I’m not in a rush to switch over all my makeup since trying to switch all at once would be overwhelming. Instead, I wait until I am running out of a product to find a green alternative. The first few products I switched were my foundation and concealer. Thanks to a friend’s recommendation I discovered eyes lips face (e.l.f.) mineral makeup and I’ve been using their foundation and concealer for about a year. I like e.l.f. because their products meet my green criteria and once I got used to using mineral makeup I found it quicker to apply and more comfortable to wear than liquid foundation. Another benefit, that is also a drawback for e.l.f. products, is that they come in small sizes. The foundation jar contains .1 ounces of product, about 1/3 the product of other mineral makeups. e.l.f foundations and concealers are also about 50% less expensive than the brands I compared them to. This combination of factors makes it an inexpensive experiment when you are trying to switch to a greener makeup, but once you are invested in the line you end up with lots of plastic product containers that aren’t numbered and may not be recyclable in your area. If you are interested in trying e.l.f. products, head over to their website and make sure you stick to the mineral makeup, since their other lines do contain harmful chemicals. To ensure you are picking the best colored products for your skin, take a product you own, visit the manufacturer’s website and adjust the color settings or tilt of your screen until the picture your screen matches the product in your hand. Then, start shopping, confident the products on your screen are represented accurately. Like...

Whether you need a quick fix because you’ve just run out of your makeup remover or you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative to your current product, this homemade makeup remover recipe is the answer. Just mix sweet almond oil, castor oil and vegetable glycerine and use it as you would any other make-up remover – apply it to your damp face and rinse it off. Both sweet almond oil and castor oil remove makeup, but they can be difficult to apply because one is very thin while the other is very thick. So I mix the two to create a gel that is easier to use. It’s worth noting that castor oil should not be used alone because it will dry out your skin. The vegetable glycerine acts as humectant to help your skin absorb the moisture in the oils and it helps the makeup glide off. You can use an oil other than sweet almond but do your research first. The oil must be safe to use on your face and – most importantly – near your eyes. I have read that olive oil is also an effective and safe make-up remover but I haven’t tried it yet. Homemade Makeup Remover 2015-01-01 19:34:11 Write a review Save Recipe Print Ingredients 2 tablespoons sweet almond oil 2 tablespoons castor oil 2 tablespoons vegetable glycerine Instructions Mix the ingredients together and store in a bottle. To remove makeup, apply the solution to your damp face and rinse off. A Green Routine http://agreenroutine.com/ Like this post? Subscribe to our email list, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Pinterest for more green living...